Come to Orange for safety fun

Road safety, personal safety, animal safety, fire safety … it’s all a part of this year’s fourth annual Orange Safety Day June 7, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Texas Travel Information Center on Interstate 10 at the Texas/Louisiana state line. The day will feature activities for all ages and a chance for visitors to meet the TxDOT Crash Dummies, Sparky the Fire Dog, view a display of classic cars and an airboat, and watch the Big Thicket Outlaws perform reenactments. Organizations from throughout Southeast Texas will have booths set up including the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Coast Guard and Red Cross.

This year, TxDOT has partnered with Shangri-La, the Beaumont and Port Arthur Convention and Visitors Bureaus, local credit unions, and more to provide food, snacks, water, and beverages free to the public.

Each year, the Texas Travel Information Center is visited by more than 300,000 people. It offers a boardwalk and scenic deck with overview of wetlands and cypress forest, walking trail, wireless Internet access, picnic tables, 24-hour access to clean restrooms, free maps and a variety of free statewide and local travel literature, and professional travel counselors.

While we harbor no disrespect for the Wall Street Journal who called us “that scrappy little paper from Southeast Texas,” we prefer to think of ourselves as simple seekers of the truth. We’re of the opinion that headlines and sound bites never tell the whole story. Our readers demand all the facts, facets and flavors of every story or event. And, they expect to be informed, educated and stirred to action.